Advice on Writing by Writers

Question: What are some ideas on writing published in 125 years of The Writer magazine?

Note: The following are just a few samples from the complete article.

Quote: “I myself remember with what a shock I heard people say that one of my own books, Winesburg, Ohio, was an exact picture of Ohio village life. The book was written in a crowded tenement district of Chicago. The hint for almost every character was taken from my fellow lodgers in a large rooming house, many of whom had never lived in a village.” Sherwood Anderson, January 1941.

Quote: “And do not let your critical self sit at your desk with your creative self. The critic will  stifle the writer within.” John Dufresne, October 1992.

Quote: “Problem, purpose, conflict, goal. Use them. Think about them while you are in the planning phase of your novel; keep these elements at the back of your mind to guide you while you write. When you have written a scene, make sure they are all there, or that if one or another is missing, it is intentional….” Phyllis A. Whitney, April 1973.

Quote: “While I rewrite heavily as I go along, this is a dangerous procedure for most beginning writers. I have met so many who have spent years rewriting, over and over again, their first 100 pages, so that they never reached page 101, and never will, and have never written a completed book, and never will. It is much preferable to write a book through from start to finish, to do it all, and then go back and redo it or revise it, rather than regale one’s friends with an eternal work-in-progress.” Irving Wallace. January 1965.

Comment: FYI. RayS.

Title: “Great Writing Tips from 125 Years of The Writer.” The Writer Staff. The Writer (April 2012), 34-36.